to weave in her turn
by Tobiko
Summary: Tamsin has never had a mom like Kenzi before. She has never loved a human so much.


The first thing she was aware of was the bush. Her home. Only it wasn't her home, her home was far far away. She couldn't remember it, but something told her it didn't matter anyway, not until she got _bigger_.

She was pretty sure she was supposed to be getting bigger faster than she was, but she didn't want to leave her bush to try and figure out what was stopping her, because something about bigger was _scary_.

Then the smelly man came, and she bit him so he'd go away but he just picked her up and _took_ her. It was annoying, but then she ended up at a house and there was food, what she needed to grow, so she stopped minding. The man called her Tamsin, which _sounded_ right but she didn't say so. There was a woman there, too, and she smelled even more funny than the man. Not bad, just not what she'd expected, like the man was like her but not, but the woman wasn't like her at all.

She thought that might matter, but she didn't really care because there was food and she could leave if she wanted.

She started to think of herself as _Tamsin_.

(i)

Tamsin found a container of cream that she didn't like, so she put it down the toilet.

The woman, _Kenzi_, got mad.

Tamsin started to cry. She only cried harder when she felt like she wasn't at all _supposed_ to cry.

It surprised her when Kenzi knelt and tried to comfort her before she started to make sparkles so that Tamsin would smile. And Kenzi called her TamTam, which she liked.

She was pretty sure Kenzi shouldn't be treating her so nice, but it made Tamsin feel good.

(ii)

Tamsin grew and started to remember more. She remembered Fae and Valkyrie and _human_, and she realized Kenzi was a _human_, and _humans_ were useless and didn't matter.

But Kenzi brushed her hair and made her laugh and smile and took care of her.

And everyone else was waiting for Tamsin to grow and _remember_ and help. Kenzi wanted that, too, but she also wasn't waiting for it to happen and angry that it wasn't. Kenzi didn't want anything _from_ her.

Tamsin knew the word _mom_. Kenzi wasn't her mom.

But she was. Tamsin didn't care that Kenzi wasn't important because she was a human. Kenzi was important because she was TamTam's mom.

(iii)

So that was love. Funny, she'd been feeling that for Bo and Dyson already.

And always, always for Momz Kenzi.

(iv)

Her memory came back. Slowly but surely, and even as it did Kenzi still taught her things about the world and about fun and manners and love.

Last came back the memories of who she was, all the horror, all the terrible things she'd done.

And the memory of a girl in a cave, Bo's heart, wondering how a human could make a succubus so desperate.

She didn't wonder anymore.

If that kitsune had survived the experience, Tamsin would fly out and rip it to shreds herself.

(v)

She remembered looking down at humans, thinking them weak unless they earned their Valkyrie escort to Valhalla. Only in death had she ever given a human a second thought.

And now a human was her mom. The best human, the most brave and loyal and fierce and loving and kind. A human who had lived more in her short, paltry human years than some fae had lived in hundreds.

And oh, how Tamsin loved Kenzi.

(vi)

Hale died and Tamsin's heart broke for Kenzi. She didn't know what to do or how to help, and Kenzi was so mad and so sad. How did such grief fit into her tiny human body?

Kenzi asked Bo to unclaim her. Tamsin nearly claimed Kenzi herself, to keep her safe, but she respected Kenzi too much to try.

And then that damn prophecy, mentioning everyone but the lionheart little human. Even Lauren, who was a human, too, was mentioned. Kenzi's confidence, already weakened in the face of the fae, shattered.

Tamsin wanted to say most fae didn't hold a candle to Kenzi, that she was the most important person she knew. But she didn't, because secretly she was glad that Kenzi wasn't in the prophecy, in the battle to end all things. She was safe.

(vii)

Tamsin saw her mom's body on the battlefield and her world came crashing down. Kenzi was supposed to be _safe_. She should have remembered. She'd been told ages ago. Bo's heart. It was _Kenzi_. Of course it was. There was no one more true, more beloved. She ran to Kenzi, checking, _hoping_, but nothing. Just Kenzi's soul, growing bright and beautiful in Valkyrie eyes. Tamsin unfurled her wings, knelt like Kenzi had knelt for her, took Kenzi in her arms, and flew.

It was Tamsin's turn to take care of Kenzi now.


End file.
